Electronic information systems as means for accountability: why there is no such thing as objectivity.

Autor/inn/en	Devlieghere, Jochen; Bradt, Lieve; Roose, Rudi
Titel	Electronic information systems as means for accountability: why there is no such thing as objectivity.
Quelle	In: European journal of social work, 24 (2021) 2, S. 212-223 PDF als Volltext (1); PDF als Volltext (2) Link als defekt meldenVerfügbarkeit
Beigaben	Literaturangaben
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; gedruckt; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1369-1457; 1468-2664
Schlagwörter	Empirische Untersuchung; Qualitative Forschung; Subjektivität; Belgien; Bürokratie; Jugendhilfe; Kritik; Management; Subjektivität; Verantwortung; Daten; Verantwortung; Bürokratie; Soziale Dienste; Management; Jugendhilfe; Daten; Kritik; Informationstechnologie; Belgien
Abstract	The public sector has been confronted with a mounting claim for accountability. While there are many ways to meet this demand, social work increasingly relies on electronic information systems (IS). Although it has been argued that IS assists services in demonstrating accountability, research sheds light on the pernicious effects of IS as well. For this reason, we interviewed 29 local managers to capture their perspective on the role of IS in creating accountability as they are held responsible for informing stakeholders about the decisions that are made. Our findings indicate a positive acceptance of the use of IS to create accountability as local managers referred to the ability of IS to stimulate critical reflection amongst their team members. However, many managers also developed a critical perspective, raising concerns about how the current demand for accountability was fully encapsulated in the logic of the database. They therefore pleaded for a reflexive approach to accountability. We conclude that local managers can be considered companions rather than opponents of practitioners in the search for this reflexive form of accountability in which the justification of their actions may lie not in so-called rational data produced by IS but in the dialogue with all stakeholders.
Erfasst von	Deutsches Zentralinstitut für soziale Fragen, Berlin
Update	2022/2